Each race has recipes that only members of their race can perform. These recipes can not only be made by someone of the right race, but also must be made in a cultural tradeskill container specific to that race. Illusions will not work, nor will a belief that you were that race in a past life born into the wrong body. Only those who are truly that race can create that race's cultural goodies.

Now, there are three general categories of cultural tradeskills:

"Old cultural" is older and includes both the well-known "blue diamond" cultural armor, in which blue diamonds were a key ingredient, as well as lesser known sets of "imbued", lower quality armor and weapons. Wood elves also have cultural fletching recipes that date from the same time as the other old cultural. All these recipes have in common that they are usable by more races than the one that can make them. They also generally are limited to use by worshippers of one deity, although some of the lesser known, lower quality armor and weapons have unimbued versions with no deity restriction. Some races and/or deities do not have any usable old cultural whatsoever. To see which old cultural armors you could wear, refer to the Old Cultural Race/Class/Deity Template.

"DoN cultural", or "new cultural", became available with the Dragons of Norrath expansion. It is completely independent from "old cultural". It involves a race-restricted quest for books that are actual ingredients for making sets of smithed and tailored armor that are limited to use by only that race. It also involves race-restricted quests for four more books that can be used to make symbols to augment the armor. The symbols are usable by any race, but are restricted to followers of just one deity. The armor generally has high AC with minimal stats, while the symbols bring much better stats and often effects. Thus, you make the armor which is limited to one race, and then the symbol, which is limited to one deity. This allows for every race and deity access to cultural they can both make and use. (The symbols aren't considered cultural, however, as anyone can make them, so you'll find their recipes listed under Smithing and Tailoring.) For more information about DoN Cultural in general, see the Dragons of Norrath Quests guide.

"LoY Robes" are only available to races who can be caster classes (enchanters, necros, mages, and wizards). These involve using dropped spell research materials to tailor swatches that can then be tailored into robes. Any researcher can make the swatches, while anyone of the right race can make that race's robes. The recipes do vary, with six different robes available to each race that can be a caster.